Ray Robinson vs Joey Maxim!

:goodmaxim finished inside the middle limit and robinson inside the welter.
i don't know how either lasted that long.a miracle

 

How many times does it need to be said that you get more exhausted throwing and moving more, especially against a bigger man. In an air conditioned arena, Maxim loses a wide UD

 

Unfortunately for Robby, Moore was Joey's next challenger, and Ray wanted no part of the Mongoose. Maxim-Robinson should have been postponed due to the heatwave. (Today, it may well have been as a safety consideration.) If he'd won, SRR probably would have vacated both titles and retired, leaving Moore-Maxim I as a match for the open championship. (Unlike Bobo Olson, he claimed to have no intention of challenging for the heavyweight title if he'd finished the job on Maxim. Olson planned to take on Marciano if he'd somehow beaten Moore in 1955. Can you imagine?)

His seconds should have just propped himself up against his corner and had him cover up. Even though he lost, he exerted himself tremendously through 13 rounds, an amazing athletic achievement in that stifling climate. (Still, it doesn't quite match what Willard did in Havana, or what Jeffries did in the rematch with Tom Sharkey. Those conditions were not as humid, but temperatures were higher, and those bouts lasted nearly twice as long. Willard and Jeff were total freaks of nature, and Willard-Johnson referee Jack Welch belongs in the IBHOF alongside George Siler.)

 

I dont want to be unkind here,but why does duran get soo much flak yet robinson none?
Duran was fighting an atg thirteen pounds above his 'natural' weight as well in new orleans...
Why is heat an excuse when both had to endure it?

 

It's not an excuse, e, IT WAS WHAT IT WAS. Joey was the last man standing 'n deserves props. i was just WATCHIN' it from ringside 'n near passed out.

 

I agree it is what it is,as was new orleans. Duran never had a perfromance like that in his life,ditto robinson being stopped in the heat. Why not just say duran had a moment of madness/took leonard for granted rather than slate him for it? Maybe duran was dehydrated from being a fattie?

 

Agreed great A.
My personal opinion is that duran thought he could beat leonard easy second (a bloody stupid thought given how hard the first fight was,and how great leonard was.) time,and maybe didnt train/make weight with the required intensity to beat an atg with the qualities to adjust his game and compete at all levels with duran. Then when duran realised he didnt have the fitness to beat ray (especially with rays new tactics.) AND ray started humiliating him durans machismo couldnt take it and he thought **** it,i will get you in a rematch,not realising that fans would slate the **** out of him for his quit job rather than rays lack of engaging. I think manny steward makes a similiar analysis and i think its the most plausible.
Props to ray though.
Duran obviously more than redemmed himself with his latter career though.
I think it would have been intriguing if there had been an immediate rubber match.

Why do you guys think robinson never went for any more forays into the lt heavy division if he was soo handily beating maxim?

 

totally agree. SRR fought a great fight, so did maxim. this was one of the first fights i ever watched when my dad and i had a SRR night (this, graziano and turpin). i'm glad maxim gets credit for this: robinson was near death and, despite comments i've made in the past, should not get any flake for the loss. BUT i hate when people act as if maxim was a lucky punching bag and won only for the heat. it's both false and disrespectful

 

Interesting A,never knew robbie planned on retiring win or lose.

 

Cheers for the info!

 

Ray Robinson picked Joey Maxim as his opponent in 1952, because Maxim was a good tough lightheavyweight, but had no power, whatsoever...Maxim didn"t punch harder, than some middleweights, and posed no real threat to KO Robinson" absent that terrible heat that night...He knew he would have no chance against, real bangers of the time like,Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Lloyd Marshall, Harold Johnson,etc....But the heat,and a stronger but light hitting Maxim, proved his undoing.......